The food spread out on Bryce Wylde's desk is tantalizing: strawberries, blueberries, red wine, chocolate and coffee. There are also brightly coloured spices – cumin, coriander and curry.

It's mouth-watering proof that eating more disease-fighting antioxidants is not going to be a chore.

What the Toronto-trained homeopathic doctor and nutritionist is trying to do with his new book, The Antioxidant Prescription,is give people the basic tools to health and wellness. Forget the miracle pill to fight disease, says Wylde.

"Your body is the miracle," he says.

"These foods help your DNA and inherent abilities to work better."

Wylde, who expected to see mostly clients interested in maintaining wellness at his Vaughan clinic – also staffed by physicians – found instead that more than 90 per cent came seeking help with serious health problems. "For many it is a last chance to help them with infertility, auto-immunity issues and even cancer," he says.

Free radicals, created naturally by the body but also affected by environmental influences from chemicals in foods to plastics products, are among the causes of disease, says Wylde, who promotes reducing free radicals and increasing our antioxidant intake for good health.

Too little exercise and too much stress also contribute to the production of free radicals, says Wylde, who advocates fighting the battle on a number of fronts. For some, the first step might be to start eating better while someone else might tackle the extreme stress of a long commute, for example.

As well, organic food and chemical-free cleaning products are more widely available, he points out, so it is easier to have a healthy home.

Wylde notes his approach complements traditional Western medicine, yet is more focused on prevention. He is developing a home test kit, expected to retail for about $80 at drwylde.com, allowing people to analyze their urine and determine their levels of free radicals and antioxidants. A detailed colour guide shows how to improve the balance.

His book outlines how Vitamins B, C and D, as well as fish oil, iron and zinc, can help overcome a wide array of health problems. He says eliminating foods, such as refined sugars and flours, also helps.

He scoffs at the label "enriched" for bleached flours saying that is like being mugged and stripped naked at a bus stop and then given a TTC token as an enrichment.

"A large part of this plan is more about what you avoid," says Wylde, who advocates minimum use of cellphones and a gentle detoxification process of a month to six weeks when starting the program.

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